"I have come to cast fire on the earth. How I wish that fire were blazing already!" —Luke 12:49, a favorite quote of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher. We celebrate the 25th anniversary of her beatification this year.
Eulalie Durocher was born in Quebec on October 6, 1811, in the village of St. Antoine on the Richelieu River. As the housekeeper at the rectory in Beloeil and the facilitator of pastoral activities from 1831 to 1843, she understood the need for teaching youngsters, especially girls, who received little schooling.
Her times — the first half of the 19th Century — were marked by the turmoil and transition described by Charles Dickens and Karl Marx, two of her contemporaries. Working with two other women, she founded the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in 1843 in Longueuil, Quebec; the Congregation was the first in Canada to focus on education.
After six short, full years as Superior and Foundress, she died on October 6 — her birthday — in 1849. She was 38. Her ccomplishments during that short life led Pope John Paul II to beatify her on May 23, 1982, as a woman for all times.
Inspired by Marie-Rose Durocher, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, and our Associates, work today on four continents. As always, SNJMs Serve in the Names of Jesus and Mary.
The web site of the Manitoba Province of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary has an album of watercolor portraits showing the early life of Eulalie Durocher. Other art can be found on the Congregational web site.
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, 1811-1849
In the lifetime of
this "Rose" changed the world.
"I wish you courage, although I am certain you are not lacking it."
